FishTank

I have to go with the Saraha. I own Saraha 750 my son and my wife use it more than me but this little reel is a monster. I fished a friend's President and it is a fine reel. Both reels are smooth and well built. I think the Saraha felt better when I hooked on to a fish. The President felt sluggish and the drag was not as good but this is just a personal observation. Both are fine reels and a good value.

Texas rigged with a 3/16 bullet weight and a 4/0 Gami.

I fished alot of Rapalas over the years and all will catch fish but few seem to run true or the same for that matter. Keep trying it until you're sure it won't catch anything. Sometimes a bait that is not running true to it's make or model will produce. For example, I have a splattered brown Bomber model A that was caught in a tree that I tried yank out. When it finally came loose, it snapped back at me and hit the boat hard. Anyway, it is banged real good but it catches more fish now than it did when I bought it.

If those are the only two you are looking at then I would go with the 843 but for fishing Senkos I like the BCR803 or the BCR864. I have the BCR803 and it is the best rod for soft plastics I have ever fished. It is just a touch more sensitve than my MBR 783 GLX. I just purchased the MBR844 IMX and one thing I noticed when I looked at the GLX version was that the IMX, for some reason, just balanced better with my reel. So for about $100 less, why not. I will be using it for frogs and heavier jerkbaits.

My favorite is my Shimano Calais 201A and G. Loomis MBR 783C with 50lb PowerPro. For lighter weight cranks I use a Shimano Curado 201SF and a BPS Johnny Morris M 7ft rod with 10lb P-Line Floroclear. If the weather is bad, I use a Quantum Energy Pti 20 with a 6ft ML St. Croix Avid, line is based on the water conditions. My favorite crankbaits are the Lucky Craft flat minis and Rapala DT series.

I too have put 6lb Ultra Soft on a spinning reel of mine. I plan to put it head to head with my favorite 6lb P-Line Floroclear to see which one I like better. So far I have tested both for breaking strength and the Ultra Soft broke at about 11lbs and P-Line at about 10lbs. The P-Line has a smaller diameter compared to the YoZuri. It is almost the same as 8lb Floroclear. All of this could me nothing until I start catching fish but so far the YoZuri looks like a great product.

Dick's sporting goods where I live in Indiana is just OK. You can luck out sometimes and find someone good to help you but I have seen, on occasion, that there is only one person to cover hunting, fishing and sometimes camping. I think they call it the "Lodge Department". This is too much for one person to handle. A few years ago, Dick's bought out Galyans here in Indiana. This was a major problem for most outdoor enthusiast. Galyans would carry everything, high to low end. They had great sales, a fantastic staff of pros that actually had some knowledge, and a small town attitude towards their customers. Dick's sort of destroyed that by under staffing and under training. This is not to say that Dick's does not have a dedicated staff, it is just that what the company has brought to this type of retail has left the customer hanging out to dry, wanting that small town bait shop in a big over stocked store. This is what causes me to drive an hour or two to either Bass Pro Shop or Gander Mountain. Dicks has become, to me, a place where the "style" of a sport is sold and not the sport itself.

I have a couple of whoppers to tell. 1)2lb Bull Frog on a fly. 2)40lb catfish on a Rooster Tail. 3)LMB with 2 lures in his mouth. I snagged one and pulled him in. I never got a hook set on him. 4)On a family fishing trip, when I was a child, my brother and I were putting the boat in the river/lake and our dad was by the bank watching when our dad said "Through me the keys." My brother threw them 5ft over his head into the water. Since we were about 15miles from anything, we started looking and dragging the bottom for the keys. We finally gave up after a few hours, decided to fish and hope someone would show up. Well after about four hours of fishing, I snagged the keys on the other side of the lake far away from the car. I was using a deep diving crank. The chances of doing that in the lake we were in have to be 1,000,000 to 1 but it happened.

Awesome collection. Just the sight of that stuff brings back some good memories. Thanks for sharing.

Shimano Sustain 2500 and 2 Quantum Energy Pti-20's.

Rapala DT-6 and LC Crank at first then maybe a week later lizards.

I live in Indiana and a local bait shop sells baby bass for bait. They are around 3-4inches and are grown at a local hatchery. I have never used them as bait but they do sell them. They also sell shad, crappie, and bluegill. I have never heard of them being illegal but personally I would use something else for bait. I do have a problem with a lot of fisherman in my area catching bluegill, using them for bait and tossing the remains on the bank. They have no respect for the lake, fish or other fisherman. I might change my mind if it was not for the other trash they leave behind (beer bottles, wrappers, worm containers, etc.). I look forward to catching a few of these guys in actions this year.

A fishing buddy of mine just bought a Steez and a Lommis. His other older reels consisted of a Ryobi spinning reel and a, used to be red, Abu Garcia Ambassedeur. He is not exactly a tackle enthusiast but he wanted a new reel, the best if he could get it. All he had to do is quit smoking. He smoked three packs a week. That's about $10 a week in his pocket or $520 a year. He also said his insurance was cheaper at work. He put away that extra cash for a year and "Hello Steez and a new G. Loomis GLX MBR842C". We have not been able to wipe the smile from his face.

I have two Pti 20's and they are awesome. I have one with a St.Croix Avid 6'6'' M that I use for 5'' Senkos and medium sized cranks. The other I have set up with St. Croix Avid 6' ML which I use for light weight lures and weightless plastics. I tried out the Pti 30 and it was to heavy for either other one of my rods. It felt better on my buddies 6'6'' MH Avid. In your case, I would say that the 20 would be perfect with some 6lb Yo-Zuri Ultra Soft or 8lb Pline Evolution or Floroclear.

I have tried so many different worms over the years I have lost track but nothing compares to the Senko. If they stopped making Senkos tomorrow, I might go to Yum Dingers as a replacement.

I went to Bass Pro Shop last weekend, purchased a Daiwa Zillion and had all my other reels strung. I was just organizing my stuff when I noticed that the two of my baitcasters that I had strung, my new Zillion and my Shimano Calais, were way over strung with line (PowerPro). I thought no big deal at first, I'll just peal off some of the extra line. It turned out to be a bigger problem than I thought. I started to take off some line when I noticed that I could not turn the crank on either one, so I slowly pulled a little line off. When I got about 30 feet off, I had what looked like the mother of all backlashes. The more I pulled off, the more the line was tangled (all the way down to the mono backing). I have never seen a reel(s) so messed up just after being spooled. My questions are, should I try to return the line, what do I do if my reels are damaged, and how could this happen? PS The salesman at BPS is someone I have trusted in the past and I have never had a problem. I am also going to call the store in the morning and scream at these guys. I hope I can get this resolved over the phone since I live about 1.5 hours away. I guess it pays to inspect your reels before you leave the store. Anyway, thanks again for any advice.

Spinnerbaits and Jigs for me. I don't know why but over the past few years I haven't used these baits that often. I have been using crankbaits and a lot of soft plastic.

I have used Big Game in the past and it was awesome line. It is probably the best value out there. I have since switched to P-Line Floroclear, I just seem to catch more fish with it. But if I all else fails, Big Game will get the job done.

My favorite for a 5" Senko or Dinger is a Gamakatsu EWG 4/0.

I have been using a G. Loomis BCR 803 with a Shimano Calcutta. I use 15lb Floroclear. I love this set up. Check out Tackle Tours review on this rod. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewgloomisjwbcr803.html Here is a general list of Loomis Jig and Worm rods http://www.tackletour.com/reviewgloomis2005wormandjigrods.html

Just curious, has anyone tried thin braid before, like 6lb PowerPro or Sufix? The super thin size of these lines has caught my attention and I was wanting to know what everyone thought of it and what situation it is best suited for. Thanks for any info

I would be cautious. :-? :-? :-?

I too have the Sustain 2500FD and it is a very smooth yet powerfully fast reel. It is by far the best spinning reel I have ever owned. I hope to get a Stella someday but the Sustain will have to do for now. Anyway, I would highly recommend it.

Just purchased an IMX MBR844C and I was asking myself this same question at the time. I still have not come up with a solid answer as to the benefits of each but I do own a MBR 783GLX and a BCR 803GLX. The BCR 803 is by far the most sensitive rod I have ever used and has a definate advantage when it comes to jigs and worms. However, the MBR 783 is better at casting crankbaits (the tip is not as soft) but put a senko on the 803 and be prepared to be blown away. The 783 is still my favorite and general go to rod, based on how versitale it is. Anyway, I hope to see a lot of opinions and thoughts on this question.

I picked G. Loomis but you might have added BPS's rods to your list. They too are quite popular.